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For Immediate Release
SANDISK USES UMC GROUP TO HELP DEVELOP AND MANUFACTURE
ITS DOUBLE CAPACITY FLASH MEMORY PRODUCTS AND CHIPSETS
Unique New 256 Megabit Double Density Flash Chip Design Realized With
Advanced Technology, Robust Manufacturing Processes, and Team Effort
SUNNYVALE, Calif, November 12, 1999--UMC Group, the semiconductor foundry
technology leader, today announced that SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:
SNDK) the world's largest supplier of high-density flash memory
and controller technology, tapped UMC Group's state-of-the-art manufacturing
facility for the development of unique, new generation high capacity
flash products and chipsets. Sandisk's newest 0.25 micron,
256 megabit D2 (Double Density) flash chip increases the capacity
of its Multimedia Cards, Compact Flash cards, PC Cards, Secure Digital
Memory Cards and other Flash offerings.
Ralph Hudson, senior vice president of operations for SanDisk noted,
"UMC Group continues to prove to be an excellent foundry partner
for SanDisk as its management and technology teams have a thorough
understanding of our needs. This understanding linked with
manufacturing expertise, an aggressive time-to-market mentality,
and a continuous drive for process improvements makes UMC Group
our number one choice in the fab business. Due to joint efforts,
we are already shipping our 256 megabit D2 chips in volume.
Beyond this, UMC Group is assisting us with a migration path for
next-generation products. This means more shippable megabytes
per wafer,and more value to our customers."
UMC Group played a key role in helping SanDisk develop its patented
256 megabit, D2 technology that doubles the capacity of flash storage
products.The process required precision current control to sense
and store two bits of data (four states) in each flash cell instead
of the typical one bit per cell. The stringent device physics specification,
the most challenging part of the process technology, was enabled
by UMC Group's manufacturing team. SanDisk's flash memory achieves
sustained wire rates equivalent to SanDisk's standard (binary) flash
design.
"Sandisk's manufacturing alliance with UMC Group is an outstanding
example of an important new trend in the industry, fabless semiconductor
companies engaging with foundry engineering teams and technology
to leverage existing product portfolios into the next generation,
and getting to market first with superior products," said Jim Ballingall,
vice president of worldwide marketing at UMC Group. "This approach
differs from the old mentality of viewing the foundry as a commodity
supplier. Customers such as SanDisk understand that by aligning
with UMC Group, they can not only tap leading manufacturing resources
but also top engineering talent to help them realize their designs
in silicon, and migrate to the next generation quickly."
SanDisk's new products will be demonstrated at COMDEX in Las Vegas,
NV, November 15-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, North Hall
and are scheduled to ship in Q1, 2000.
About SanDisk
SanDisk Corporation, the world's largest supplier of flash data
storage products, designs, manufactures and markets industry-standard,
solid-state data, digital imaging and audio storage products using
its patented, high density flash memory and controller technology.
SanDisk is based in Sunnyvale, CA.
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